St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-19

attempt to commit suicide by drowning
When charged with the murder he did not
deny it, When pressed to make q cenfes-
sion he uttered a groan of despair, and re-
piled:
DESPAIR.
MAYBE / did, for have been crazy for
four or five days. Let me go and kill my
self"
When searched few shillings in money
and a pocketknife and other articles were
found on his person. He was tree of wounds
or bruises of any sort. and no buttons were
missing from his garments. Before he was
the cause of his flight. 1t could not be for
the murder of the girl. for he was innocent.
1t must be on account of information re-
ceiyed in that foreign letter. Invent at
once to his room in the barn, which no one
had yet examined, and there L found the
envelope intact, but the letter torn into
twenty fragments and flung on the floor. i
gathered up the pieces and pasted them to-
gether, and then had the clue to his
actions. 1t was letter from his mo Their in
Germany. and it contained two pieces of
important news First, the mother, who
was widow, had been robbed of her every
dollar by investing in some wildcat Specula-
ton on the advice of friends; and, Sec
ondly, the girl whom Fritz expected to re-
turn home and marry in year had been
welded to another.
Fritz was made half crazy by the news,
and his sole desire seemed to De to get out
of the neighborhood as fast as possible.
The coroner, Mr.. Grafton and myself held
an interview with him in private. The
coroner was an ignoramuS, and he was only
too glad to surrender his official privileges
to Grafton, who eagerly accepted them. 1t
was plain from the start that he meant to
catch poor Fritz in the tolls.
How could you do such a horrible
thing" he asked, as we were ready to pro-
ceed. Tell us all about
Fritz began weeping.
Ibid you kill Jennie because she refused
to marry you? Yes. that was the rea son.
You lay in wait for her in the woods"
Fritz kept up sobbing and moaning.
Il am sorry for you, and will do all / can
for you. but the law must take its course.
Perhaps the jury will say that you were
crazy, and that you should not be punished.
l hope it will, for you ale good man, and
l don't believe you knew what you were do
ing. Well, coroner, have you any doubts
OF the prisoners guilt?"
None, sir"
And you, Mr."
Il have very serious doubts" replied.
s'What! Haven't you been listening to
the examinations"
But he has admitted nothing"
His actions bespeak his guilt as plain as
day, and we shall now take him before the
jury and press him until he admits the MUIR
der"
AN INTERVIEW.
Before Fritz was taken into the room
where the jury was sitting and many spec
tators were assembled, Grafton was per-
mitted to interview him in private for half
an hour. When questioned before the jury
he said.
Il may be the one. had great trouble
come upon me and don't know what | did
or where went If it was me l am sorry"
On the strength of this the coroner's jury
rendered verdict that the girl Jennie came
to her death at the hands Of Fritz, and he
was taken off to jail and warrant sworn
out. / felt certain that Will Grafton had
killed the girl and | expected to exhibit my
proofs before the jury, but when l saw
Grafton take the matter into his own hands
| realized that he suspected and was pre-
pared to defeat me, The son VIII was
present during all the proceedings. and he
wore the identical coat from which the but
ton had been torn. Two of the servants
informed Inc that he had worn the garment
right along every day for six months. When
| saw that the verdict of the corOner'S jury
was foregone conclusion, and that Fritz
would be held, | determined to hold my
hand until proper time. In my report of
the case to my superior simply mentioned
that Fritz had confessed and been placed
under arrest.
On the second day after Fritz had been
sent to jail Grafton secured an interview
with him on the excuse of providing him
with a lawyer In that interview he secured
the following written confession:
II am now quite sure that | killed the
girl. got news in a letter which made
me lose my head, and l remember meeting
Jennie in the woods and thinking she was
to blame for all my troubles. l don't want
to live. and shall plead guilty, and ask,
them to hang me-" .-s 49,.
Three days later, when guessed that the
prisoners dependency had vanished, and
that the thought of the gallows would nerve
him up to begin struggle for life. paid
him visit. / had been doing some good
work in his favor
Fritz" said, ''you read your letter in
the barn, didn't you?"
Eyes"
''You tore it up after reading"
YES; | remember"
''YOu were about to go for one of the
horses down in the pasture. When you left
the barn you took a halter with YOU"
81 remember
''You reached the lot, threw the halter
into fence corner, and then started off by
the old path leading to the cider mill. When
you passed the school house you,wer bare
headed, and you had not been from home
twenty minutes"
II remember children shouting after me-"
II have followed you down that high
way for twelve miles. Then you turned
east by red school house, and l have
traced you six miles further. l can show
by the servants at the house that you were
under their eyes when the girl left and for an
hour after. Then your letter came. and
you ran to the barn to read it. Now, then,
how could you have killed the girl?''
II don't know, but if didn't who did?"
Whose knife is this?"
That's Williams"
tAnd this button?"
SIS off his coat"
THE TERRIBLE SEQUEL.
had all the proofs any lawyer would
want to clear Fritz. l could prove that
when he left the house he went to the barn